


The Queen Bee--A Retelling

by MistressDandelion



Category: Fairy Tales & Related Fandoms
Genre: Ants, Asshole Princes - Freeform, Bees, Chaps, Chaptered, Curse Breaking, Curses, Cutesy, Dangerously adorable kings, Ducks, F/M, Fairy Tale Curses, Fairy Tale Elements, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fluff, Gay Kings, Gay Male Character, German names, M/M, Other, Pet Names, Princes & Princesses, The Queen Bee, The princes threaten the ants ducks and bees, This is a real fairy tale with canon gay kings btw, Threats, Three Trials
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-11-07 01:56:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11048889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistressDandelion/pseuds/MistressDandelion
Summary: Two king's sons set out to seek their fortune. When they do not return, their youngest son must set out to find them and seek his fortune as well.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The Queen Bee is a fairy tale recorded and collected by the Brothers Grimm. The inclusion of two kings and their sons was what immediately drew me to this story and prompted me to begin this re-write. I loved the idea of gay kings and their sons and wanted to explore the dynamics of those relationships. All the names are names I took from a list of popular German names, as all characters are unnamed in the original story. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rolf and Egon set out to seek their fortunes

_Once upon a time_

 

“What do you think, Rich?” King Bernhard glanced up at King Friedrich, gazing into his husband’s calm face. They stood atop their castle wall, watching as the silhouettes of their sons grew smaller in the distance.

Rich never took his eyes away from the sight of their departing sons. “We raised them best we could, Bee. Their success or failure rests on them, now.”

It was a pragmatic way to think of it. Rolf and Egon were young men of a certain age, and it was time for them to seek their fortunes. Provisioned as well as they could be, with food and gold to last them well into their journey, if they were careful, they had been given every advantage as they set out. Still, as Bernhard turned back to gaze after their elder sons, he chewed his lip with worry. Their shadows stretched behind them, as though reluctant to go on, desperate to cling to home even as the brothers finally disappeared over a hummock in the road.

Breathing out a sigh, Bernhard turned and tucked his face into the crook of Friedrich’s neck. Doubts roiled in his mind, and his heart quivered in his chest as he considered all the misfortune that could befall their dear sons as they traveled, yet Friedrich was steady beside him. His arms, solid around Bernhard’s waist, tightened a bit, reassuring in their solidness. Friedrich tucked his chin tight against Bernhard’s head, and together they stood and watched the horizon where their children had finally left their sight.

“They’ll be fine, Bee.” Rich’s voice was steady as his arms, yet Bernhard could hear his heart beating quickly beneath his ear. “They have each other, besides.”

“Yes. I believe you, Rich.”

Belief or no, Bernhard could only hope that Rolf and Egon would fare well. He and Rich had done their best to raise three sons who were strong and pure of heart, loyal to one another and true to themselves. A lot could go wrong when two young men left to seek their fortune, but they _did_ have each other to rely on.

Friedrich finally turned away, pulling Bernhard with him. Together, they began the descent back to the courtyard, where Klaus, their youngest son, awaited them.

“Do you remember, Bee, when we, too, set out to seek our fortunes?”

A smile tugged the corners of his mouth, despite the worry he still felt gnawing at his heart. “Aye. I remember hoping my fortune would include a princess.”

Friedrich laughed, his rich, deep laughter bringing another smile to Bernhard’s mouth. “Forgive me for ruining that for you.”

Laughing together, the two kings descended the wall steps, and as they did, Bernhard could feel his heart becoming lighter. He had faith that their sons would fare well.

 

\---

 

Days passed into weeks, and weeks into months, and King Bernhard and King Friedrich became increasingly worried for their sons as they still did not return. Their worry soon began to touch Klaus--the young man had been inconsolable since his brothers departed. And so he spent his days moping through the castle.

In the courtyard where he used to play, he instead wandered about, the magic of childhood gone with his brothers.

In the dining hall, where they would have eaten together as a family, he sat quietly while his fathers fretted between themselves, thinking he could not overhear them.

And his brothers still did not return, and they did not send word. His fathers worried, and Klaus brooded, until finally he could stand it no longer, and he went to see his fathers.

They had taken to standing atop the wall, where they’d watched his brothers’ departure so many months ago. Klaus looked up at them, seeing no more than their shadows as they stood against the bright sky, and sighed. The climb up the stone steps was laborious, yet he stuck with it, pushing himself to the top of the wall, where his fathers turned to look at him in surprise.

“Klaus!” King Friedrich stepped away from Bernhard, surprise written all across his face. “You could have sent someone up to fetch us.”

“Father,” Clenching his fists tight to his sides, Klaus looked up into the concerned faces of his fathers. “Papa,” He took a deep breath. He had been thinking about this since the day Rolf and Egon had gone away. “I want to seek my fortune. I want to find my brothers and seek our fortunes together.”

He had expected an outcry, and he screwed his face up with determination, trying to meet both their gazes at once. Instead, he saw King Bernhard’s eyes soften, and he and King Friedrich exchanged a look that Klaus could not understand before looking to him once again. Bending slightly, Bernhard looked Klaus evenly in the face. “Are you certain, son?”

“Yes!” He didn’t need a moment to consider or decide. He had been certain the moment his brothers first announced their intent to seek their fortunes. “Please, Papa, I can do it. I can find Rolf and Egon and seek our fortunes together, I can help them.”

King Bernhard straightened, and again he and Friedrich shared a look. Klaus waited, his fists still tight balls at his sides, until Friedrich sighed.

Before he could even speak, Klaus threw his arms around his father’s waist, squeezing him tight. The sigh was as good as an affirmation, in Klaus’s eyes. “Thank you father, thank you! I promise, I’ll make you proud of me.” He felt Friedrich’s arms pass around his shoulders, squeezing him in return, and his heart swelled. He had expected a fight, had expected them to insist he was too small, too weak, too _wrong_ to seek his brothers and his fortune.

“You know we’re already proud of you, Klaus.” Bernhard clasped his shoulder, the pressure of his hand comforting and familiar. “There’s no shame in only finding your brothers and bringing them home.”

His words were meant kindly, Klaus knew, but he winced all the same. He intended to do far more than _just_ bring his brothers home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Klaus finds his brothers.

Klaus set off down the road where his brothers had traveled before him with a determined, albeit labored, stride. His fathers had burdened him with a pack stuffed full of food and a little pouch of gold to “help him on his way.” He carried the pack slung across his back, the weight throwing him off balance even as he struggled down the road. Gritting his teeth, he kept on, and the road disappeared beneath his feet steadily, despite his somewhat slow pace. 

There had been far too many goodbyes as he left, his Papa throwing his arms around Klaus’ neck and insisting, again, that he could come home with his brothers with no shame. 

He knew King Bernhard meant well, but his Papa’s words had only made him more determined. And so he continued down the road, following the direction his brothers had taken when they set off so many months before. As he came, unknowingly, to the same hillock where his brothers had finally disappeared from view, he turned to look back at the castle. 

Two tiny figures, nothing but silhouettes now with distance, stood atop the wall. If he squinted, he thought he could just make out their faces, and as he gazed back at his home, both of the figures raised a hand in farewell. 

A sudden surge of emotion overtook him as he realized this was the last time he would see his home or his fathers in possibly a very long time. His throat tightened and tears sprang to his eyes. Lifting his own hand, he waved to the two figures on the castle wall, and then he turned, filled his lungs, and let out a heavy sigh. 

Hefting his pack higher on his shoulders, he continued, following the road down the hill and toward his fortune.

 

\---

 

He walked for most of that day, pausing often to rest his legs as they grew tired and cramped. There was a town within a day’s walk of the castle, he knew. His fathers had given him a map, pointing out the town and some of the other likely places to seek his brothers. The town itself hove into view as the sun had just kissed the horizon, and Klaus heaved a heavy sigh of relief. 

The walking had proven more difficult than he’d anticipated, his own short strides carrying him a shorter distance than his brothers would have covered in the same time. And so as he came into the town, the world had already gone dark, the sun disappearing to be replaced by a myriad of stars.

Despite the late hour, as he finally came upon the town and passed in among the buildings, the people were awake and active. Klaus gazed all around as he stepped through the town, staring with wonder at the many things he had never seen or hoped to experience; The people, all dressed in what looked like very plain clothes to the young prince, and the buildings, some of them mere hovels built of any material they could get their hands on. As he passed among them, several townspeople stopped to stare, and he began to feel the heat of blood rising in his face. 

Murmurs followed him, as well as several people whose interest he’d attracted. Unsure of himself now, in the face of all the stares and whispers, he cast about for a place to rest and hide away from those following him. As he walked, limping on his sore legs, he began to hear a rowdiness, the sound of voices and laughter as they filtered through the otherwise still night air. Following the sounds, he came upon a building where light shone through the windows and the open door.

A tavern, he realized as the heavy smell of wines and ales suddenly wafted to him on the night air. Wrinkling his nose against the odor, he nonetheless pushed his way inside, struggling through the press of bodies. Despite the rowdy, drunken crowds, a tavern would be an excellent place to ask about his brothers.

Klaus was pushed and jostled by elbows as people failed to see him. Ducking through the crowd as best he could, he soon found himself near the bar. Grateful for the respite, he pushed himself up and onto one of the rough stools. Immediately, as though emerging from the sea, he could see through the throng of people and hear, as clear as day, voices that sent his heart racing.

A roll of laughter took the crowd, and he turned, standing on his stool to see over the heads of the crowd. Casting about, he soon found the source of the voices and laughter. 

“Egon!” 

His brother turned, and Klaus scrambled down from the stool, pushing his way through the crowd. Many of them had turned, startled, as he called to his brother, and they stepped aside, making way for him as he went to Egon. 

“Klaus?” 

Confusion wrote its way across his brother’s face, but Klaus hardly cared. Finally reaching his brother’s side, he threw his arms around his waist and hugged him tight. All this time, and they had been coming home after all. “Father and Papa sent me to search for you and Rolf. I’m so glad to have found you, and on your way home from seeking your fortunes!” Stepping away from Egon, he looked about the room, searching for the familiar face of Rolf, the eldest brother. “Where  _ is  _ Rolf?” 

Egon still stared, his eyes wide. “They sent  _ you  _ after us?” The  accusatory tone of his voice sent Klaus reeling back, hurt. “What do they expect  _ you  _ to do?” 

Before he could go on, Klaus felt a hand fall on his shoulder. “Brother,” The familiar voice of Rolf touched his ears, and he turned to look up into his eldest brother’s face. “You ought not to have come.” He flinched away from his brother’s words, but a grin broke out on Rolf’s face even as he pulled Klaus into an embrace. “And yet, I’m glad you have. We’ve been having a grand time in this town. You must join us.” 

Now it was Klaus’s turn to be confused. He pulled out of Rolf’s arms, staring from him to Egon and back. Rolf’s words rattled around in his brain. 

“Do you mean to say . . .” He hesitated. “That you’ve been  _ here  _ in this village, all this time?” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the brothers find some ants.

Rolf exploded into laughter, Egon’s own mirth bubbling up behind Klaus at the same moment. He spun on the spot, looking from one of them to the other as they laughed, confused at their amusement. 

Rolf’s hand landed heavily on his shoulder then, and he looked up into his eldest brother’s face. “Gods no, brother.” He chuckled, regaining control. “We traveled about a bit, but stopped here again. We had thought to drop in for a bit of a visit.” 

Klaus’s heart swelled with affection for his eldest brother, and he smiled, glad that they had not forgotten him. 

His smile faded as Egon spoke up. “Why did Father and Papa send you? Do they not trust us to travel safely on our own, that they must send our _dwarf_ brother to protect us?” 

Ducking his head, Klaus became aware of the eyes, strangers staring as the three brothers reunited in their midst. Shamed by his brother’s words, his face burned, but he felt Rolf’s fingers tighten on his shoulder. 

His eldest brother spoke up, his voice quietly admonishing. “He was worried about us, Egon. Can’t you see?” 

Klaus watched a look pass between his brothers, and then Egon seemed to wilt, his shoulders lowering and a smile finally tugging at his lips. 

He stood up, clapping Klaus on the shoulder. “Then welcome, brother. Will you join us for a drink?” 

 

\---

 

Rolf and Egon regaled him that night with tales from their journey. He heard their stories of massive cities and hags they’d met on the road, but more and more he noticed that their stories seemed to include details of the taverns they’d gone to, the rich food and fine drink they’d spoilt themselves with. 

They plied him with offers of food and drink, which he denied, watching as they became quite drunk. He began to understand why, after many months, they had not yet found their fortunes. 

He woke them early the next morning, working through their complaints of aching heads and tired eyes. He had come to seek his fortune with his elder brothers, after all, and so he cajoled and pleaded with them until they agreed to set out with him. If only on the condition that they stop in for a large meal to break their fast. 

The sun hung high as they departed at last. 

They walked together, and Klaus struggled to keep up with his brothers’ long strides. He knew they did not mean to leave him behind, yet he begged them to slow and let him catch them up more than once. 

As they walked, Egon and Rolf continued spinning tales of their adventures. Klaus found himself laughing along as they laughed. His heart ached, a sweet pain as he savored being back with his brothers again. Anticipation of the adventures they would share as they sought their fortunes together made him smile, even as his legs cramped, and he finally begged his brothers to let him stop for a rest.

Rolf agreed readily enough, and Klaus collapsed upon a fallen log where it rested beside the path, glad of the chance to massage his aching legs. Restless, Egon ventured further ahead, criss-crossing the path as he paced. A moment later, Klaus saw him perk up, and he called out.

“Come see this!” 

When Rolf and Klaus drew near, they saw an ant hill. A massive construct, from an ant’s perspective, the hill rose several inches, and ants came and went from the hole at the top, going about their busy lives in a rush. It was unremarkable, as ant hills went.

Egon laughed, pointing. “Look at them run. Let’s tear down their hill and see how they run to carry their eggs away!” 

He said it with such glee that Klaus looked up into his face to see whether or not he had been joking. The look on his face was not one of malice, but one of amusement as he laughed and took a step toward the ant hill, kicking sand toward them. 

Klaus cried out as Rolf laughed and began to kick sand as well. 

The ants scattered, their line breaking as the sand disrupted them so that they milled about, running at top speed. While Rolf and Egon laughed, Klaus again cried out, forcing his cramped legs into a run. He pushed Rolf’s arm, putting himself between his brothers and the ant hill. 

“Stop!” 

To his surprise, they did. They looked at him, and he could see curiosity--surprise even--in Rolf’s eyes. He saw only a sort of frustration in Egon’s face, his eyebrows drawing down into a frown. But they had stopped, and so he spoke again, taking advantage of their stillness.

“ Let the poor things enjoy themselves,” Throwing a hand out toward the ants, he saw his brothers turn to look again. The ants still milled, though they were slowly working their way back into orderly lines. “I will not suffer you to trouble them .” 

His brothers were still and silent for a long moment, looking at him where he stood between them and the ant hill. Klaus felt a drop of sweat crawl down his back. He clenched his fists against his brothers’ scrutiny.

Finally, Rolf laughed. 

“Alright, brother, alright.” Holding up both hands, Rolf backed away. Egon followed, stepping back from the ant hill, where the ants had finally reorganized themselves into their lines, racing back and forth as though they’d never been disturbed. “We’ll not hurt them.” 

The moment of tension ended, and the brothers departed after Klaus had been given a rest. They went back to talking and laughing, telling jokes, reciting more stories of their adventures, and Klaus let himself enjoy his time with them. Surely the moment with the ants had been nothing, a simple lapse of judgement. 

They camped on the road that night, and Klaus lay between his brothers by the fire Rolf had built, gazing up at the stars long after his brothers had fallen asleep. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the brothers find some Ducks and Bees

Klaus had never anticipated that  _ seeking his fortune  _ would mean so much walking. 

The three brothers walked for hours every day, stopping only when the cramping in Klaus’s legs became too much for him to bear. For several days they walked in peace, talking amongst themselves or simply walking in silence as they gazed about. Klaus could not keep his eyes from wandering, taking in all the wonders the world. His heart felt nearly full to bursting as he absorbed the beauty of a world he’d never quite dared hope to explore.

The brothers slept every night wherever they stopped, usually camping just off the road they had decided to follow. Most nights, Rolf built the fire, showing off a level of skill Klaus had never expected of him, and Egon filled their stomachs with food he foraged, displaying a surprising knowledge of plants and wildlife. 

For a time, the brothers traveled in peace, their journey uninterrupted. They walked and talked and laughed together, reliving some of the happy, magical times from when they were children. 

One day, shortly after they had woken and begun their journey again, they came upon a pond.

Egon whooped and made to run toward the water. Rolf stopped him with a hand on his arm. 

“Look!” 

Klaus had already spotted what his brother was about to point out. 

“Ducks!” 

His cry startled a few of the birds. They flapped across the water, but soon came to rest on the other side of the pond. A few of the other birds stirred, but they all seemed content to glide along the water, peaceful. 

Klaus could not stop the grin that crossed his face as he saw the animals. The surface of the pond seemed to shift and shimmer as the ducks paddled about, covering the water with their numbers. 

The brothers stopped a distance away from the pond. Rolf pulled Egon aside by the arm, leaving Klaus to watch the ducks as they swam. 

They whispered together for a moment. Klaus could not hear everything they said, but a few  words came to him on the wind. “Ducks,” and “Dinner,” and “Fire.” 

He looked at his brothers where they stood and looked at the ducks. His heart jumped, and he looked back at the ducks where they happily swam in their pond. His stomach rumbled, even as he realized in despair that his brothers meant to catch and eat some of them.

“Oh, please!” The cry jumped out of him before he could catch it. He rushed to Egon’s side, pulling at his arm to catch his attention. “ Let the poor things enjoy themselves, you shall not kill them.” 

Egon yanked his arm away. A sneer curled his lip, and he looked down at Klaus with a frown on his brow. “He’d like us to starve.” His words were poison.

Before Klaus could reply, Rolf pushed between them. His hands fell on his brothers’ shoulders, heavy on Egon’s and light on Klaus’s. “Now, brothers. Let’s not fight.” Looking from Klaus to Egon, the eldest brother shook his head. “Let’s carry on.” 

They left the pond behind, and Klaus shook away the ill feelings that hung over him. 

It came to pass that as they walked, they began to hear a humming in the air. Soon, they began to see bees, far more than could be expected on a normal summer’s day.

Soon, the buzzing grew so loud that the brothers stopped to look around.

Throwing out an arm, Rolf pushed in front, hissing. “Hush! Be quiet.” 

Looking where his eldest brother looked, Klaus gasped. Bees. Hundreds,  _ thousands  _ of bees. They flew in neat lines, to and from a massive, rotten tree, much as the ants had scurried to and from their nest. Their nest had taken over the corpse of the tree, until honey dripped golden from the boughs and to the earth. 

“What a waste!” Egon cried, throwing his hands into the air. “Let us light a fire under the tree and smoke them out. That honey oughtn’t to be wasted.” 

Klaus could feel his stomach growling, the thought of all that golden honey tempting him. But the sight of the bees, going about their steadfast work, soon stopped his straying thoughts. Even as Rolf and Egon began to gather dry bits of wood, Klaus cried out.

“Please, brothers, let the pretty insects enjoy themselves! I cannot let you burn them.” 

Again his brothers stopped and looked at him. He raised his chin. Though he was the youngest, and he was small, he would not let his brothers harm the bees. 

A silence fell while the brothers stared at one another. Egon snapped a branch in two and broke the silence only moments later. Throwing the pieces to the dirt, he stormed away and down the path. 

Klaus let out a heavy breath, turning to look up at Rolf. His eldest brother’s eyes were soft, but his mouth had turned down into a frown. “Someday, brother,” He spoke so softly Klaus could hardly hear him over the buzz of the bees. “You’ll learn to do what you must to survive.” 

He turned to follow Egon before Klaus could find a single word to reply. 

The brothers walked for the rest of the day. His brothers did not wait to let him catch up. He was obliged to trail behind, and he watched as his brothers talked, and eventually laughed, to one another. 

The camped that night beside the path, near a pond quite like the one they’d seen earlier that day. Klaus lay beside the fire Rolf had built and slept nearly before his head had hit the ground. He dreamed of ants and ducks and bees, crawling and swimming and buzzing through his mind. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Brothers find a castle

Days passed into a week or two as the brothers sought their fortunes, following the road wherever it led. They traveled peacefully, finding little by way of adventure or trouble. The three brothers had fallen back into peace together, talking and laughing as they walked and trading stories by the fire at night before they slept. 

At length, as the brothers had just begun their day’s walk, that they saw a shape in the distance. Squatting on the horizon, they saw a castle. 

They conferred together as they walked, speculating about who might live there. 

“A giant,” Egon suggested, leering down at Klaus and making him cringe away in fear. 

“Or an evil king?” Rolf walked in the lead, eying the castle with distrust. 

“Maybe it’s empty.” 

At Klaus’s suggestion, the two elder brothers seemed only to laugh. Though he thought he saw Rolf’s shoulders drop slightly as he relaxed. 

The castle grew larger as they drew nearer to it, but even as they came quite near to it, it lay still and silent. No guards raised a hue and cry. Indeed, it seemed to be merely an empty, abandoned castle. 

Quietly, the brothers approached, coming upon the stables as they passed under the castle gate. As they passed the stables, they saw that many fine horses stood inside, their coats dull and grey. And, to a horse, they all stood eerily still. Egon whistled low as the brothers approached. 

“They’re all of marble!” He exclaimed, and Klaus saw that it was true. Each of the horses had been painstakingly carved from marble. 

While his brothers marveled at the statues, moving from one to the next to view them all, Klaus stopped to stare up at the first one. He laid a hand as far up on the horse’s flank as he could reach, meaning only to feel the curve of the stone. He pulled back at once, staring closer at the statue. The stone was warm. 

When he told his brothers, they waved his words away. “It was probably warmed by a stray sunbeam.” Rolf explained, and the brothers moved on from the stable. 

The three brothers explored the castle thoroughly after that, their courage growing as they went through room after room, seeing no one. Each of the rooms was empty, and so they soon laughed and talked together again, unafraid of being discovered. 

What luck, they said, that they should find such a place. They could stay the night in peace and safety, with no fear of being set upon in the night. 

At length, the brothers came to one, last door. Klaus could see that it was different from the rest, for it was locked against intruders with three locks. He, the first to notice it, stepped toward the door to look. He could just reach the first lock, and so he took it in his hand to look more closely at it. 

“What’s this, now?” 

Egon’s voice broke the eerie stillness that lay over the castle as a whole. He loped toward Klaus, grinning. “Found another door, brother?” 

The door was sturdy, and, as Klaus had seen, locked. But a little wicket had been built into the middle of the door, and as Egon pushed it open, even Klaus could just barely see into the room beyond. 

Standing on his tiptoes, Klaus peered into the room and saw a small, gray old man, sitting alone at a table. He looked as gray as the horses in the stables, but Egon took a breath and called out to him all the same.

“Ho! Old man! Come and open this gate!” 

The old man did not move. 

Hearing his brother’s cry, Rolf came near and peered through the wicket as well. And he, too, called out to the old man. “Ho there! Will you let us in?” 

And still, the old man did not move. 

Grumbling, the elder brothers pulled away. They shook the locks on the door, while Klaus stood and peered in at the old man. He seemed sad, to the boy, and so Klaus finally spoke. “Please, sir, will you come out? We’d like to know what’s happened to the people of this castle!” 

At last, the old man stirred. He stood, came near the gate, and unlocked the three locks. While the brothers stood aside, he came out to them, looking at them with cold, sad eyes. 

“H’lo!” Rolf stepped forward, polite and kind. “Will you tell us what’s happened here? Where are the people? Who created those beautiful statues in the stables?” 

The little old man said nothing. Instead, he motioned for them to follow him and began to walk away. 

The brothers exchanged looks. Rolf shrugged, while Egon shook his head. Only Klaus smiled, and it was he who stepped forward first to follow the old man. Behind, his brothers came at last, and the three brothers followed as the old man led them to a room they had missed in their explorations. 

The room had a beautiful table in it, laden heavily with delicacies. The old man indicated that the brothers should eat, and so they sat and ate their fill. Even Klaus fell to, tempted by the good food, the likes of which he had not eaten since leaving home to seek his fortune. 

When they had eaten their fill, the old man beckoned to them again. He had still not said a single word, and Klaus was beginning to find his silence, eerie. 

Still, the brothers followed him while he walked quietly ahead, and he led them to a hall of bed chambers. He left them, then, and the brothers looked too and fro between each other. 

“Well, I for one am quite ready for a bed.” Rolf said.

His proclamation seemed sound enough. Egon and Klaus agreed, and soon they had each entered a chamber of their own, to rest their heads after a long journey. 

Klaus lay awake for a long time, that night, listening to the silence of the castle. There was nothing to be heard, not even the soft sounds of mice or rats in the walls. 

He hoped on the morrow they would learn what had happened to the people of this castle. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rolf and Egon attempt the trials

Early the next morning, Rolf woke to the soft sound of knuckles tapping on the door. Only dim, grey light came in through the partially shuttered windows, so he knew it must be quite early, yet he rose all the same and opened the door. 

The old, grey man who had led them about the castle the day before greeted him. Waving a hand, indicating that Rolf should follow, he hobbled back down the hall. Rolf followed, unafraid even as he left his brothers behind, sound asleep. 

He followed the old man to another room they’d missed in their exploration. 

In this room, a marble table stood stark and cold, and on that table were three tablets. As Rolf drew closer, he realized that the tablets told how the castle had come to be enchanted, and how one might  _ disenchant  _ it. 

On the first tablet, he read _ :  _ _ In the wood, under the moss, lie the thousand pearls belonging to the king’s daughter; they must all be found: and if one be missing by set of sun, he who seeks them will be turned into marble. _

“Aha, and so that’s how.” Rolf said quietly. He looked at the old man, but he’d gone, and Rolf was alone. 

“Well, nothing else to it, then.” 

He set out at once, taking nothing with him and not waking his brothers. 

The wood lay as peaceful as the empty castle, though not nearly as silent. Birds sang in the trees, and insects buzzed in the grass. The forest was as alive as the castle was dead, and Rolf found that he felt at peace as he stepped beneath the trees. 

He set to searching at once, getting to his hands and knees in the moss. 

As the tablet had said, there were pearls hidden under the moss. He found his first one almost at once, and searched eagerly from there. He found many pearls, piling them near a tree once he could no longer hold them in his hands. As the day progressed, he began to feel discouraged, and when evening had come, he’d barely found the first hundred pearls.

While Rolf had been in the woods, Egon and Klaus had continued exploring the castle. They wandered in the empty rooms, some of the magic of their childhood returning as they played at being spies or soldiers in turn, running through the empty rooms. 

They supped at the massive, heavily laden table that evening, but a silence had fallen over them. Rolf had still not returned. 

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Klaus tried to say, but Egon cut him off.

“He’s probably gone on without us, to seek his fortune without being held back.” 

The brothers did not speak again for the rest of the night, and they retired to their bed chambers alone.

 

\---

 

The next morning, Egon was woken by the soft sound of knuckles tapping on his door. 

He woke with the sense that the tapping had been going on for some time. Still, he rose slowly, opening the door with caution. When he saw that it was the old, grey man, he sighed and asked what he wanted. From the soft light coming in through the window, he thought it must be very early. 

The old man said nothing, but waved a frail hand, indicating that Egon should follow. 

He did so, only after considering going back to bed. 

The old man led him to the room with the marble table and tablets. Once Egon had read them, he understood what Rolf had done, and why he had not returned the night before. 

“I will not fail where my brother did.” He promised himself. 

Like his eldest brother, Egon set off at once, leaving the castle to go into the wood in search of the thousand pearls. 

He found the small wood a bit eerie, lying in shadow even as the sun rose. Yet he set to searching all the same, settling on one knee and sifting through the damp moss. Vaguely, he wondered how many pearls Rolf had found before the worst had happened. 

It was many minutes before Egon found a pearl, and he cried out in delight when he saw that the tablet spoke the truth. Then he found many pearls, piling them where he’d they got too heavy to keep in his pockets. 

He searched for many hours, not even stopping to rest. 

Yet as the evening closed in around him, he had not found more than two hundred pearls. 

Klaus had woken to find himself alone in the castle, and while Egon had sought a thousand pearls in the woods, he’d sat quietly in his bedchamber. After wandering the castle in search of his brothers, he had decided that Egon must have been right. His brothers had gone on without him, tired of being held back by someone they must constantly wait to catch them up. 

He failed to go to the table and sup the evening, and he lay awake for many hours that night, wondering what he was to do, now that he was alone. 

He slept fitfully, and he dreamed that the silent castle around him was alive, a monster waiting for him to lower his guard so that it could devour him. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Klaus attempts the trials

Klaus woke the next morning to the realization that he  _ must  _ have fallen asleep at some point. Groggy, his eyes scratched with the exhaustion of a mostly sleepless night, he stumbled out of bed to answer the tiny tapping that echoed through the bedchamber he’d chosen. 

It was the old, grey man, who wordlessly beckoned to him. Klaus followed at once, and the old man led him to a room that had only three marble slabs in it. He found that he must stand on his toes to be able to read the words, but when he read the slabs, Klaus finally understood.

“My brothers must have gone into the woods to seek the pearls.” 

The realization rocked him. His brothers had gone to the woods seeking to break the heavy curse that lay over the castle. Had they then met their doom, turned into marble statues by the curse’s whim? 

There was only one course of action left to the young man, and so he set out to the little wood at once. 

In the wood, Klaus began to seek the pearls hidden in the moss. He searched for what felt like an eternity, his knees aching and his legs cramping as he crawled through the dirt and moss, but no pearls were forthcoming. It was such hard, tiresome work, and the pearls were so hard to find, that eventually he found a rock to sit on, exhausted. Tired and sore, he cried. 

He stood no chance of succeeding where his older, stronger brothers had failed. 

He cried for many minutes, awaiting the eventual fall of evening and his own succumbing to the curse. Yet as he cried, he began to notice tiny spots of movement in the moss. Peering into the moss, he saw pearls coming toward him, moving as of their own volition. 

He gasped, and carefully got to his knees in the dirt again to look more closely. 

There were ants, thousands of ants crawling through the moss, some of them carrying pearls. As he watched, the ants carrying pearls carefully carried them to a spot near the rock he’d been sitting on and dumped them while the others scurried through the moss in search of more. Before too long, a heap of pearls had been gathered. 

One ant out of the many, an ant larger than the others, ran about and seemed to oversee the activity. The Queen, Klaus realized, of the colony he’d saved from being kicked apart. 

The ants gathered all of the thousand pearls while Klaus watched, and when the sun had fallen, he returned to the castle. 

 

The next morning, Klaus returned to the room in order to read the second tablet. It said:  _ The key of the princess’s bed-chamber must be fished up out of the lake. _

Dutifully, Klaus left at once to find the lake where it lay a short way apart from the castle. 

When he came to the edge of the lake, he saw how deep it was and despaired. He could not swim strongly enough to reach the bottom. 

But he soon saw a pair of ducks, swimming on the surface of the lake, and he recognized them as two of the ducks he’d saved from being caught and cooked by his brothers. 

They swam so peacefully that he sat to watch, and they began to dive under the water in their search for food. As he watched, one came up with not food in its bill, but a silver key, and he jumped up in exhilaration. 

He returned to the castle with plenty of daylight left, and for the first time since finding his brothers missing, ate his fill at the enchanted table before sleeping deeply through the night. 

\---

When Klaus returned to the chamber with the marble slabs the next day, he found that the third task would be the hardest of them all. The third marble slab described choosing the youngest and best of the King’s daughters. 

He came to their bed chamber with trepidation, the old, grey man leading him quietly. The silver key fit the lock perfectly, and the chamber opened to him with no trouble. As he stepped into the room, he saw the three princesses, turned to stone by the terrible curse. Each of them was quite beautiful, and they all looked exactly alike. The marble slab had said that the eldest sister had eaten a cube of sugar, the middle sister had eaten some sweet syrup, and the youngest had eaten a spoonful of honey. 

There seemed no likely way to check which princess had eaten what, and so Klaus sat for a long time thinking. He tried checking to see if they had any marks on their faces--a crumb of sugar, or a dot of honey, perhaps. But nothing seemed apparent. 

Eventually, he noticed movement, and looked up to see that a bee had flown in by the window. The insect buzzed about for a moment, and Klaus watched her absently. As he watched, she settled on the lips of the first princess for a moment. He moved to shoo her away, only to realize that she had gone on her own, and settled on the lips of the second, as well. 

Again, she rested only for a moment, before settling on the lips of the third and last princess. This time, she stayed, and Klaus cried out with understanding. 

The third must have had honey on her lips, and with his realization, the spell broke. 

The princesses shifted, blinking and stretching as though they’d woken from a long nap. 

When they spotted Klaus, the eldest merely stared, while the middle princess shrieked. Only the third princess, the youngest and and best, seemed calm. She stood and stepped forward, the light of realization shining in her eyes. She got to her knees in front of Klaus, looking into his face.

“Thank you.” 


End file.
